CPR training ramps up as summer pool hours lenghten

Experts say that now is the time to brush up on a life-saving tool that just takes a few minutes to learn. (SBG)

EUGENE, Ore. - As the weather heats up, more and more people are flocking to swimming pools in order to cool down amidst the heat.

Experts say that now is the time to brush up on a life-saving tool that just takes a few minutes to learn.

With kids and adults, young and old, hitting the pool during the summer months, local instructors say that learning CPR should be on everybody's to-do list.

"When I hear stories of people who didn't know what to do in an emergency, it just breaks my heart," said Katrina Purdy, with Oregon CPR. "It's really sad when things can, when the outcome can be extremely different. People need to know what to do in an emergency."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that about one in five drowning victims are children younger than the age of 14. For most of them, CPR is something that could have saved their lives, and it starts with just a few simple steps.

"Provide a safe environment for yourself and that other person," said Purdy. "Make sure that you call 911 before you start CPR."

Purdy also says that another important step is to tap and shout to check on the person in question before you start. If they are not responding, you always want to start with chest compressions.

"There are people that are required to have it, and we train people every two years that have to have it," said Purdy. "My goal is not to train the people that have to have it, my goal is to train the people that want to have it."

If learning CPR has been on your to-do list, it may be time to cross it off. Oregon CPR offers group rates and on-site CPR classes, and for more information you can visit their website here.